It’s amazing how quickly time flies once we get into our summer season at Vista Verde. There is just so much going on each day and people going in so many different directions. This is so much more than a guest ranch…we toy with calling it an Adventure Ranch with the hiking, biking, rock climbing and all the other activities in addition to great riding. The energy is contagious! I just realized how long it’s been since I’ve blogged. I have a spotlight on Terry in the works, but it isn’t ready. So, until I can slow him down from spending all day in clinics and lessons, you’ll have to settle for a little monologue on my view of the ranch lately.
We are into our third week of the summer guest ranch season, and so far they have been full of wonderful people and some great memories. I had a really fun day last Thursday as I rounded up a crew to help me get the Wild Yoga location all set up for our first class. The crew ended up being an all girl team of Kid Supervisors. Despite the heavy lifting, the crazy Gator ride up the hill, and the trudge through grass, bogs and across streams to the Wild Yoga location, the girls did great and were laughing the whole time. And that afternoon Kelli and I got to lead our first Wild Yoga practice of the season with a full class of fun guests. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!
Another highlight for me last week was watching Nicky and Reid halter breaking the 4 foals. Those little babies are smart and strong, and aren’t all that sure that they want to be trained yet! But they are so cute and kissable. I keep threatening that if Little Joe (my favorite) is missing one day, there’s a good chance he’s hidden in my house somewhere.
We’re getting more and more calls about our Cattle Gather weeks in September. Charlie led the inaugural all-day ride up in that section of the forest last week and everyone had a ball. It’s a huge area, some with trails, but mostly a lot of exploring and finding gorgeous views. We’ll head up there with some of our all-day rides all summer to check on the cows and make sure they are staying in the right area. That will help us keep tabs on them so when we lead the gather in the fall, we’ll have an idea of where to find them in order to push them to lower pastures for the winter.
As I headed to the Post Office this morning to get the mail, I spotted a Moots Cycles (really amazing high end Steamboat bike company) van following some guy through town. I crossed paths with them as I came out from getting the mail and asked what was going on. They were following Erik Lobeck as he made his way out of Steamboat Springs on the Tour Divide Race, riding a Moots bike. This guy is amazing…read his story and that of the Tour Divide on the Moots blog. Steamboat Springs is such a diverse town in the sense that it has such strong ranching and rodeo ties but also is home to outdoor adventurers and several well-renowned outdoor outfitters (Smartwool, Big Agnes, Moots, Kent Erickson).
So there is the randomness from the Ranch. We’re loving our guests so far this summer and look forward to seeing those of you coming out soon. Hopefully we can meet some of those who haven’t made it yet. There’s still space in early July!!!! Call me, let’s get you out to Colorado this summer.